my effort in traffic in my cross town commute and my cross town rides is to ride through like a ghostnot expecting anyone to alter their trajectory due to my movements...

well... that is not entirely true... the cars behind me may not always be granted the passage that they desireas I am forced to make the decisions for themas they have shown that they have no care or concern for my well beingas they have shown that their actions lack strategy... they move without logic or meaningtheir actions are devoid of common sense and lack common courtesy

this morning my timing was offperhaps I was focused on too many things at onceleft out the back alley at the same time as one of my neighborshis office is around the corner from minehe travels on his small 50cc motor scooter while I travel by bicycleon this day he issued the challenge of John Henry.... MAN VERSUS MACHINEalthough I did not fully accept the joking challenge I could not refuse the seeing who would win with a natural effort not a race filled approachI altered my trajectory and I altered my pacebut only slightly... thinking the more direct route would get me their more quickly

the scooter left out fast but I caught up with him without trying to take things to race paceour route was the very similar... I saw him a half a block ahead at each turn through the streets of Mount Pleasant as I took the alleysafter a short hill in Adams Morgan I caught him at a red lightthe light turned green before I had a chance to make a pass

I rode with my camera around my neck and was still looking for potential subjects for the pageafter passing him at a red light I slowed my pace to get a moving shot of a woman with a nice basket on her bike as I went down 18th Street

then I passed him at the base of the hill where he stopped for a series of red lightsa collection of red lights and stop signs sent me forward at a rate he could not match

I was riding neither fast nor furiousmy actions were not as fluid or smooth as I usually aim to have them beit was like I was trying to force a square peg into a square holeyet I managed to fit through just the same

cars were slowing and stoppingand I was pausing and going in ways that caused more concern for the other than expectedthe classic rarity of a car driver seeing me and slowing for me when I planned to dip behind them unseen happened more than onceit is an awkward exchange... how can you say... I did not want you to stop for me? when we always want the car driver to slow and stop rather than run us down...yet... I wanted these cars to maintain their trajectoryas my path was through the space that they had previously occupiedbut no... they slowed and stopped... thus keeping the space that I wanted to pass throughforcing me to awkwardly alter my pace and roll in front of themwhen I really wanted to pass behind themmaking me neither smooth nor considerate

I wonder... is it better to be in a ditch in Spain or in the gutter in NYC?Then there’s the obvious side effects — the pain, the time off the bike andpsychologically, you’re a little like, ‘I’m 37 years old, lying in a ditch in Spain. O.K., what am I doing?’ ”

the air was thin and coldthe water was certainly colderhad I known of the myth of the healing powers of the water I would have climbed innot sure how I would have warmed up again... perhaps it is best that I did not

the ride to the lake was a long climbthe ride down was a screammaybe I will glance at some pictures from the trip for a more detailed story

Fermin Sanchez... that was the name of the ranger at the station by the lake at the top

it was a short tour... yet the trip to Peru was a month longbringing a bike had its hassles yet offered a variety of freedoms as well as an assortment of memories

reminds me of the old one piece mountain bike handlebar/stem that worked so well creating a triangle that held a kryptonite lockhmmmm.... maybe KRYPTONITE would do well to enginer a come back of that sort of designso many people ride with their lock dangling from their handlebar as they ridegive them that same convenience with a little more safety!http://unbreakable-bonds.blogspot.com/

it is saturday morning...these images were put here waiting for words earlier this weekbut what word should I put on the pagedo I go on about my depression caused by my rib injury

the ribs are sorebut worse than the soreness is my inability to do so many things that I want to doyes I can ride my bike... but only at a lesser intensitydefinitely not on dirtlast weekend I missed the Maryland State Championships at Greenbrier... oh well...

it is not so much the State Championships as the race itself and what the effort of racing and competing does for me

to exert myself and to put myself on the line is a good zap to the systemit clears my mind and refreshes my soul

F)CK! I just sneezed! F)CK THAT HURTS!the rib injury goes unnoticed until it reveals itselfsneezing is worse than coughing or laughcoughing and laughing suckbut sneezing expands the chest in such a way that the injury is made fresh again

I question my choice not to go to the doctorpartially due to American Guilt... the thought that I can not miss any more workmissed the Monday after the Baker's Dozen... then had a dental appointment the following dayfor some reason I thought that that was too much

my post work rides have been infrequentthe times on the bike have been short and low intensitythe injury has robbed me of a certain level of ambitionI have lost a desire to attackI must get that desire to attack back

About Me

if you want to know about me all you need to do is check out my BLOG
it is not the same everyday or everyweek
the focus changes and alters with my moods and with the events of the day and the events of my life